Fruity Loops
by SpiderLobb
Summary: The truth is, Shinji was sane when he came to Tokyo 3 the first time. The second time? Not so much. Needless to say, things get a -little- weird. Pilot-centric, love triangle, harems, yaoi yuri snowballing motorboating golfcarting ALL OF THE TAGS ON THIS BEACH.
1. I (Hurt You) Crack A Joke

**Fruity Loops**

**Disclaimer**: I don't really think these things matter, if someone wants to sue you, they're going to be a tit and do it. Still, I don't own Evangelion, or anything -else- I reference in this fanwankery. So suck my fat d-

**Synopsis**: Another cliche Impact makes a loop trip. It's awful and you shouldn't read it, but you're going to anyway. And you'll like it. 'cause I said so. Harems, insanity, yaoi, yuri, snowballing, motorboating, golfcarting, just put all the labels on this bitch. You've been warned.

**Prologue: I...**

Shinji wasn't sure what had transpired. One moment he was looking up at a naked Rei trying to talk him out of destroying the human race, and having a subsequent epiphany. And then he was sitting on a train (for once not in the overcast shadows of evening) in the middle of the afternoon with the letter that had started it all in his hands.

Shinji was not often puzzled. Flummoxed, bamboozled, shanghai'd, and confused perhaps; but never puzzled. So it was with a sour face he read the letter once again. _... Was it all a dream?_ He asked himself, turning the picture of Misato that was so familiar over and reading the note on the back. _It... it can't be. Am I insane?_ He paused, _Don't answer that, me._

Oh, this loop was off to a good start.

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And so, Shinji had put off the thoughts until things had happened exactly as he remembered, with the only minor details being that he'd been more prepared for when Sachiel stomped down near him, he'd swear up and down Rei's image had -smiled- at him, and Misato inexplicably showed up at the last minute to save his ass. By the time Misato had spoken, verbatim, what he vaguely remembered he was ready to scream.

Thankfully when he did, it was easily masked as his reaction to the N2 mine dropping. And so, Shinji realized, without realizing, that he was going to have to live through Hell -again-... Unless he changed some things.

Misato wasn't sure how to take the kid's suddenly grim expression while she sped down to the elevator into the Geofront.

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"Correct." Shinji looked up from Eva 01's quiet stare, unsure of how to even react to his father now. Shinji knew what was driving his father, but he still didn't understand -why- the man had done things the way he had. So here he was at a crossroads, unable to play the simpering and shocked child because he -wasn't- yet he had the vaguest inkling that fighting now would only get him killed. And Shinji wasn't quite ready to test if this was all some freak fluke or dream with his life, he still had -some- sanity left... Maybe.

"Why should I pilot it?" _Yeah, that's a good way to start._ The youth mused, _Small changes._ When Misato finished gawking at Ritsuko and the faux-blonde scientist started gawking at him, he tried to hold his expression on his errant father. "What reason should I do this for?" He pleaded, hoping for a glimpse past that stoic mask.

"Because if you don't, everyone will die." Well, damn, there went that hope.

So, inevitably, he'd found himself sitting at the controls of Unit 01, with that same comforting sensation at his back even though now he understood what it was. _Mother..._ Shinji lamented, _What should I do?_ He asked, almost praying for an answer from the soul within the machine. When he got no answer, he wasn't surprised. He was surprised, however, that his sync ratio was bafflingly higher than when he'd last tested, before the end had come.

Fresh from Kaworu's death, Shinji remembered barely being able to climb above 40%, yet here he was sitting pretty at 62%. _Is... that what my first numbers were like?_ Shinji couldn't remember, he couldn't remember -any- of that first battle. He could already feel panic rising in his chest when the launch initiated. _Can I win?_

And then the faces of all those whom he'd fought for, that had died and suffered because of him and his father. _I will win..._ He thought to himself, as determination shot through his veins like a wildfire in a dry forest.

So when he did win, struggling with all of his heartache fueling his might, a smile broke out unto his face that was mirrored by many down in the NERV base.

Even Gendo, though no one else would know it.

So things had changed, just with a little application of will and a dose of anger. Shinji wasn't sure anymore if what he had seen was a dream or if it had been real, but he wasn't going to allow that horrible ending to occur.

Some things didn't seem able to change, though, when even though it was days earlier than before, Misato wouldn't allow him to live alone. He couldn't help it when he started crying, seeing her standing outside those elevator doors with blood all over her torso and his lips warming from just the very -ghost- of that moment. It'd been the most awkward boner of his life.

But he still hugged the black-haired woman and sobbed into her chest when she told him "This is your new home now." And he felt almost shamefully happy when she hugged him back.

Even if it was the most awkward boner of his life.

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Since he had the week to do whatever he pleased with while his school records processed and his things came to Misato's apartment, Shinji had decided to sit down and make a somewhat quizzical timetable the first day. After all, his memory wouldn't last forever and having some notes to look over when things became muddled would probably save his hide. He'd ended up rambling a bit in his writings but had gotten what he felt were the important things down by the time he'd started on lunch for himself. With Misato busy at NERV, Pen-Pen was the only one around to judge his (admittedly crazy) mutterings.

The rest of that night was spent being teased by Misato and trying to explain why he'd spent the day cooped up in the apartment. "Misato?" He asked after dinner, settling his dark blue eyes on his guardian's lazing form in front of the television. When she sat up, he desperately tried to ignore the way her body -bounced- due to her preference in casual clothing.

"Yeah, Shinji? What's up?" The dark-haired woman asked in return, turning down the volume on her show. Shinji couldn't help the fondness in his chest for the beautiful woman who was so many things to him that it was positively freudian.

"Can I go see Rei tommorrow?"

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He'd immediately regretted using Rei's given name when Misato had lit him up with teasing and proclamations that he'd best have honorable intentions after the bluenette. He'd gone to bed flushed and embarrassed, but also glad to have the woman in the good mood he'd known before... _Kaji had died._ He mentally finished, frowning deeply.

Still, now wasn't the time to think about it, sitting outside Rei's hospital room waiting for Doctor Akagi to clear her for visiting. Shinji had a [b]plan[/b], and everything would go according to the **Plan**. This was the first step, taking more time with Ayanami and trying to prevent losing her in the gambit to kill that ring of light angel.

When Ritsuko came out and nodded to Shinji, ushering him inside with a "She can see you now." He was overjoyed, half expecting to have been blocked off by either the doctor or his father's will. This was a huge step, in his opinion, letting him have time with Rei before they'd met in the embarrassing way the dream... other world... thing had. After all, Shinji didn't want to get slapped by the girl again, let alone molest her the way he had.

The hospital room was typical for NERV, sedate and (in his opinion) lifeless. Just four walls, and the medical necessities to keep a patient alive if not well. And there in the bed was Rei, sitting up just enough where he could see that her hands, one bandaged, were in her lap. Those red eyes of her's glowed even in the unnatural lighting of the hospital room, let alone when they bored into his own blue and he almost paused in the doorway.

Because she was smiling, that same, soft little smile he'd seen only a few times, the first being when they'd beaten the fifth angel together.

"Ikari-kun."

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"Why let Rei see the Third Child, Gendo?" Fuyutsuki asked, moving a pawn forward to threaten the younger man's Queen while Gendo uncrossed his arms, surveying his elder's move.

"Because, a pawn cannot take the Queen." Gendo replied, throwing in just enough of that latent smarm to feel pleased with himself when Fuyutsuki balked at Gendo taking the pawn with his Queen.

Only for the older man to threaten his King with a Knight, which the Queen could have prevented. "Dumb bastard." Fuyutsuki grinned.

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"Ayana-" He was surprised by her finger touching his lips, silencing him effectively before she gestured for him to sit upon the bed near her. When he did, and she leaned in quietly and engulfed him in a hug, Shinji felt his heart begin to race. _Wh-what?_ He thought quietly to himself, trying to understand what was going on when the bluenette released him from her sudden affection and began to speak in that soft voice he could pick out of a panicking crowd.

"I am glad to see you," Rei's voice lilted in the stillness of the hospital room, "I had feared you would not remember." _Nothing is going right._ Shinji lamented, _I thought I was the one who was supposed to be glad to see her and trying to convince her that bad things would happen, here she is giving me a hug and making me -speechless-._ And he was, too. What could he say to the girl? This blue-haired, red-eyed girl whom was some kind of amalgam of Science and Angel, who shared genes with him, and yet made him feel like a schoolgirl with a crush.

"You're surprised." She stated the obvious, and Shinji felt suitably chastised by it even though he -knew- it was just how Rei acted when she was comfortable enough with someone. This was -Rei-, and not -Asuka-... Though just thinking of the redhead's name put him in a dour mood. Rei was here, but Asuka was still in Germany. He wouldn't see her for at least a month and a half without trying to get in contact with her. _Focus on the girl in front of you, Shinji, you pervert!_ His conscious reminded him, making him blush with shame.

"I-yeah, I am. I kind of... came in here thinking I'd have to get to know you. And yet, you know me. So I must know you." _That doesn't sound crazy at all! Augh, am I sure I'm not insane?_ From the way he was mentally berating -himself-, he wasn't sure the question wasn't valid. But then a soft sound caught his attention, and his gaze fell on Rei again. Was she... **giggling?**

"Forgive me," She was back to that soft lilt, where anyone else would have mistaken it for bald faced indifference, he saw the amusement in her eyes, the so slight a quirk of the lips that changed a thin line to a nearly unnoticeable curve. "You must have been in deep anguish over it."

_Okay, it's official, I'm crazy. Rei just made fun of me._ He thought to himself, absolutely flabbergasted.

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"Rei?"

"Yes, Ikari-kun?"

"Why are we wearing these suits?"

"Just go with it, Shinji."

"Man, am I ever going to get straight answers from someone?"

There was something to be said of the kind of person who could see a group of Men In Black wannabes strut past with purpose and not bat an eye at it. When Misato led Shinji and Rei past the requisitions officer into the armory, Shinji mused to himself that the word for that kind of person might be **Idiot**.

Still, Misato had clearance to enter, as did the Pilots under emergency protocols, so he wasn't even sure why they'd dressed up like the Section-2 agents. Thinking about it, he was sure that Misato had just used Rei's request as an excuse to act out. Shinji wasn't sure if that was endearing or just plain silly. He had to give credit where credit was due, though, if those pants were any tighter on Rei or the Captain's bodies he was pretty sure they'd break countless decency laws.

He wasn't mindful of the fact that Misato had shared a giggle with Rei at shoving Shinji into a proverbial monkey suit, though he was aware that "Agent Ikari" would be quite a popular PR face from Misato's teasing words before they'd left the apartment.

He also wasn't aware that Rei had simply held a glint in her ruby red eyes that had promised untold amounts of shenanigans. Or the fact that the bluenette's own shades had held a tiny camera which she'd used to take several picturesque moments for later editing.

After all, Rei was a teenage Goddess who had newly discovered that screwing around with people was hellaciously fun. And she had an idea where she could ship a few choice images. Shinji should've been glad that he moved to be second in line behind Misato, because otherwise he might've seen the girl's blank face erupt into the largest sanity sabotaging slasher smile -ever-.

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"Ah, Asuka, you have an e-mail from NERV-Japan, it seems." Asuka Langely Sohryu, Second Child of Evangelion, looked up from her video game towards her dream man- _Guardian_. It was hard to think about Kaji lately, because while she still held a soft spot in her heart for the man, everything was fuzzy and there were... moments, where she felt sad for the man instead of desiring of him. Everything was foggy lately.

Musing in German to herself as to who could have sent such an email, she picked up her laptop and opened it, activating the program designed for use of encrypted channels amongst the NERV force. "R-0AR2? Who's designation is that?" The redhead thought to herself, opening the electronic letter while Kaji mulled about, interested as well.

Asuka was perhaps the easiest person to spy on simply because you could be in a different -country- and hear her when something happened. Thankfully, the message was in plain English, if a bit wonky in wording, Asuka having expected it to be in Japanese, which she couldn't read very well.

_Miss Sohryu,_

_I have a proposal for you, enclosed are pictures of the Third Child, Shinji Ikari. Consider this a down payment towards a collaborative relationship. I know that you will be shipping out to Tokyo-3 within the next month. We will meet soon._

_ \- A. Rei_

Asuka, utterly confused as to the nature of the letter, opened the attached folder more out of curiosity than anything else. Contained within it were several pictures of Shinji posing, in mild undress, and some of him smiling shyly. By the time she got through with the pictures, she was blushing hotly. Still, the fog had cleared from her mind somewhat and she started to put -ideas- as well as places and faces together. That's when the whammy came in an additional text file, with only a few words contained within.

_Dibs on first._

"THAT WHORE!"

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"Rei?"

"Yes, Ikari-kun?" Rei glanced towards Shinji, standing in the next shooting lane. The boy had been fiddling with learning the ins and outs of the handgun issued to the military and, thus, most of NERV. Misato had explained a bunch about how to use them properly and safety in regards to firearms, but had really only been able to explain that throughout the world it was called a "Sig Sauer P220."

"Why do I feel like my balls just dropped, then receded?" Rei couldn't help her smile.

"Do not worry about it, Ikari-kun. I will protect you." With that, the bluenette put three rounds through the paper target's chest with her own handgun. Shinji glanced towards her just in time to see her soft, but utterly bemused smile. The sad thing was, he did feel better, even if he -still- hadn't gotten a straight answer out of anyone.

After the (mis)adventure to the armory and the shooting lanes, Misato had insisted on Shinji and Rei keeping their newly issued handguns firmly locked away unless an emergency arose. While the dark-haired woman was content with teaching them both how to securely keep, maintain, and shoot a gun, she also didn't trust them to run around with them more than was necessary. Rei had made a good point about self protection, even if the christmas cake wasn't quite sure about the bluenette's -other- proposal yet.

She was sure by the time she was a few beers in and had hit the hard liquor that night she'd think it was an awesome idea. Still, at that point what's done would be done and she'd have no part of it. Well, besides getting inappropriately fuckfaced and making poor management decisions.

Still, she doubted Ritsuko or the Commander would be able to countermand her. Dress her down, maybe, but Misato had the vaguest inkling that Rei hadn't -just- sent a proposal to Misato. After all, the Commander was supposed to be the girl's guardian and thus almost everything that involved her went through Him.

The woman had no clue -what- she was getting into, and she hadn't even put a foot in the dark yet.

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"Rei requested to be moved into the apartment complex with Captain Katsuragi and the Third Child." Fuyutsuki intoned, lightly reading through the report in regards to the First Child. Gendo seemed as impassive as ever, which really only served to irritate the former Professor. _He's just being a sore loser. The man can't play chess for shit._ He mused.

"I was aware. She also talked the Captain into procuring firearms for herself and the Third Child." The older Ikari returned, moving from his "thinking" position into a more casual slump. Between paperwork and meetings, the older Ikari -hated- this damn office. "Her logic has been sound, and while it is out of the ordinary, I have seen no reason to deny her so far." Gendo admitted, crossing a leg and digging around in one of the many drawers on his desk, pulling out a glass and a bottle of amber liquid. Fuyutsuki rolled his eyes, but struck a pen through the report and signed for Gendo.

_You'll help me decide, won't you, Whiskey-kun? You help make all the hard decisions so easy._ The Commander thought with a wry grin. After all, when had he ever been steered wrong by alcohol? Well, if he ignored when drinking himself nearly to death in grief for his wife had led him into Naoko Akagi's bed. Or how they'd led him into accepting Ritsuko's overt advances... _You know what, nevermind. _Gendo thought to himself, putting them both back in the drawer.

Fuyutsuki nodded to himself, _Maybe they can learn._

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Rei was pleased when she received the notice that she'd be allowed to move into the residential block with Misato and Shinji. Being closer meant that the two could spend more time together, and that was her current M.O. _After all, Ikari-kun seems to have learned from his experience in the Gestalt, even if he's cutely inept at dealing with this extra chance. Still, I would be remiss if I did not assist in making this world one he can live within happily._ The bluenette thought to herself, rearranging the meager furnishings that came with her new apartment.

The Captain had insisted on throwing a house warming party for her, but Rei had talked her down to letting her come over for dinner, under request that Shinji cook. Misato had been perfectly willing to put up with that, since it basically just meant having the quiet girl join them for a normal night at home anyway. Rei smiled to herself, as she carefully hid her new gunsafe in the drawer of her desk. _Everything is going according to **Plan**._ Rei thought to herself, checking her appearance in a mirror before moving next door.

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To say that things hadn't gone well at the party would've been a lie on the level of a capital offense. Misato had made the mistake of teasing Rei and Shinji about their perceived relationship, which had led to Rei "responding in the manner in which I would derive the most amusement."

Which meant that Rei had mildly defended Shinji and requested that Misato "not dress like a skank in front of her man." When Shinji was right next to her, while Misato had been drinking a beer. The subsequent spit take had only heightened the fires of Rei's particularly spiteful (Shinji was starting to note) sense of humor.

The rest of the night started to blur from that point. Sure, Shinji remembered something about Pen-Pen, a deck of cards, a bottle of single cask whiskey, and a katana; Shinji wasn't sure when the katana had gotten involved, but he distinctly remembered Rei waving it around after the whiskey was half gone. Plus, the cut in the table was still there.

Thankfully, everyone seemed to still have all their extremities when they showed up for breakfast that morning, and the teenager was only mildly confused when Rei came out of his bedroom wearing one of his school shirts. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he didn't miss Misato coming out of his room too, except earlier as he was waking up on the couch. _Okay, maybe I'm getting a bit out of control too._ He admitted privately, enjoying having watched his guardian sneak out of his room with a bright blush. _I don't care whether she thinks something happened or not, seeing Misato embarrassed is funny._

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Of course, the fun had to end at some point, with Shinji returning to class mindful of the fact Touji wouldn't be there until tommorrow, when he'd discovered if he'd still managed to hurt his sister. Still, hearing the droning of the teacher and having some relative anonymity at least gave him and Rei time to talk during the lunch periods. There'd been rumors flying that the two of them were going out and with Rei giving most everyone else the cold shoulder, it fell on Shinji to try to field questions. _Though it seems kind of pointless._ He mused to himself, watching some of the girls gossip, _No matter how much I say we're just friends no one believes me. I mean, who could be -this- focused on something as stupid as a relationship?_

Shinji had the vaguest inkling that he'd just insulted himself.

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"Hey, Shinji, you've got mail on your NERV account." Shinji looked up from preparing dinner, with a shrug from Misato he moved to grab his laptop out of his bedroom.

Just next door, Rei received a similar alert, though it was because she was already on her laptop. Opening the mail program and getting through it's security measures, she raised a brow. _Is Asuka not listed as R-02AS?_

Shinji's face was bright red, staring at the folder of pictures that had been sent by Asuka. The second to last one was of the nude redhead with two pieces of placard "strategically positioned." The one over her breasts had "I'm sorry" while the one in more intimate regions said "To your mom too." Now, this confused Shinji, melting his arousal away in a moment of utter confusion until he opened the last picture, when it grew to frustration.

"Misato!"

"Yeah, Shinji?"

"Can you translate this Deutsche?"

"**THAT WHORE!**" Shinji blinked, turning his gaze to the next door apartment. Had that been Rei?

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Shinji learned something new the day Shamshel came. Apparently, one could not fuck with causality without causality fucking back. Touji returned that next day, but he did so with crutches. As Shinji had been briefed (once again with a fist, something that rather upset the blue eyed teen,) Touji had managed to rescue Sakura before the shelter they retreated to had managed to cave in partially on the jock's lower half.

Touji had apparently been lucky in that he'd walk again, but he'd probably have reoccurrences of pain while everything knit itself back together with the help of medicine and surgeries, paid for by NERV's dime.

Shinji had time to think (after his jaw had stopped swelling) that maybe it'd also prevent the boy from getting chosen to pilot the angel-corrupted Unit, but he wasn't quite yet ready to hold out -that- particular hope. Plus, better the devil you know compared to something even worse happening.

That was as far as he got before Rei found him and informed him that they'd been called, with the bluenette giving Touji a look that only Shinji recognized as "You done goofed."

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"Unit-01 has deployed Progressive Knife!"

"Shinji! What're you doing, use the rifle like we trained you for!"

"Misato. Just trust me. That rifle isn't gonna do anything to that thing."

Even if it was way faster and less dangerous than the first time he'd fought the stupid freudian angel, he still felt emotionally drained by the end of it. The guilt of failing compounded with the guilt of having -directly- hurt Touji this time was more than he could bare to deal with at this point. Even with Rei's somewhat... odd way of supporting him and Asuka sending an email here and there, it was just too much...

It took him halfway to Kensuke's mountain tent to realize he'd just -run away at the same damn point in time as the last go through.- The subsequent swear word was loud enough that it spooked the animals nearby.

The less that was said of how irritated the blue-eyed boy was by the time he got back to Misato's the better. Needless to say, the katana made reappearance. Shinji wasn't sure where the katana had come from, but he had a feeling he'd better keep it.

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"Hey, Kaji."

"Yeah, Asuka?"

"What's the ETA on Unit-02 being finished anyway? I thought they just had to finish mounting the armor plates on the thing." The redhead looked up from her laptop, past the pictures of Shinji threatening Misato with a katana while the Major cowered with a dart gun of some kind in hand. At first she'd thought Rei had been the one taking the pictures, but later pictures of the Third Child menacing the bluenette as well implied Pen-Pen had been the one to take the pictures.

"It should be done here within the next week, and after final checks, we'll be on our way to Japan by the end of the month." The spy remarked, waving a dismissive hand as he flipped through a channel. The germanic girl shook her head, wondering why the man would be remotely interested in sitting about on a beautiful day like this. Taking a glance and seeing the last picture in the folder, one of Shinji aiming a slash at the camera, she shrugged and shut the device.

"I'm going out for a jog."

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_Things change, that's really all I can figure out about this new world. _Shinji mused to himself, tapping a pencil against the desk while the teacher went off topic about the applications of standard physics. Of all the examples that filtered through his mind, Rei and Asuka's newfound... -weirdness- were at the forefront. After all, his memories of his past life were -completely- different in comparison to their new personalities. Or at least, that's what Shinji thought of it all as. _After all, just because we live through a horrible situation doesn't make them go -this- crazy, does it? _Ignoring his own rather prolonged lapse with reality, more out of courtesy in regards to the fact he was -still- somewhat insane from the ordeal.

The katana fiasco had kind of proven that, though thankfully Misato had been willing to believe he'd just had a lapse of reality from rapidly developing (or more truthfully, long-standing) PTSD. Glancing over to Rei, whom affected a dutiful student because she was pausing every so often in her typing to glance up at the teacher. _It'd work better if I couldn't see that she's sending an email to someone, though._ Shinji thought to himself.

Shinji should've just been glad he couldn't read what she was typing about.

The next few days had passed in relative silence; thankfully, in Shinji's opinion. Between testing at NERV and spending off time with Rei and Misato, he'd decided to try and squeeze in a meeting with his father. After all, of all the things that he could try and change, having even a minute amount of knowledge of his father could change the very world itself. So here he was, standing outside Gendo Ikari's office inside the Geofront while trying desperately to thrash down the feelings of rage and betrayal that filled him just standing near that unhallowed place.

But he had to try, if nothing else. For Rei, Asuka, Misato... for everyone, really. Still, of all the things Shinji could be accused of, he wouldn't accept being called a coward anymore. So he put one foot in front of the other and entered.

Gendo's office was as he'd remembered it. Dark and foreboding, a place of arcane power in defiance of whatever God still drifted near this world. He was probably being a little melodramatic, but Shinji felt he'd earned that particular right.

"I'm busy, so this cannot take long," Okay, maybe Shinji'd have to tone down the melodrama before he became his father, then, "What is it?" Gendo glanced up from a fistful of papers he'd been going over, his eyes just visible over the edge of his amber shades. Shinji sighed, taking a deep breath in before plunging into the abyss.

"If you have an opening in your schedule," He started, trying to keep his voice level and his demeanor hopeful, "I'd like for you to join us for dinner someday soon. I understand if you cannot make an opening." _Be mature, he can deny a child, but if you put it forth like an adult he's liable to at least listen, right?_ Shinji thought to himself For a moment there was silence as his eyes remained carefully on his father's face across the desk, with the older male breaking the contest by glancing up at the ceiling in thought.

"I do not know if that will be possible," Gendo stated, with the blue-eyed teen slumping, "However, if possible, I will make arrangements and inform you." He idly watched Shinji's shoulders straighten back up and a stricken look cross his face before his son seemed to grab hold of himself and nod with a slight smile. "If that is all, I must return to my work."

"Thank you, father. I'll see you later." Shinji left with a bow and a sharp turn, pleased beyond measure with himself despite his internal conflict mere minutes before. He'd hardly gotten outside the office before Fuyutsuki merged free of the shadows, turning a raised brow to the Commander. When he received a shrug, his lips curled slightly into a smile.

The issue with things changing is that no matter how much you might have thought you had a handle on a situation, what you know may not come true. Time is malleable, just as fate and destiny are by proxy.

Shinji learned that, the day Ramiel came. Deploying faster didn't help; the beam still slammed into Unit-01's chest and sent him screaming in agony. And the problem was this time he wasn't conveniently on the platform to be retrieved.

The heat cooked his brain before his nerves shut down from feedback, and he was aware enough before his heart exploded to remember that pain when he awoke on the train bound for Tokyo-3. And that pain consumed him and sent him spiraling off the edge.

Shinji spent the next few loops trying to take all of his hatred, pain, and tears out on everyone around him. They were short loops, but they grew longer each time.

This is where things got fruity.

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**Chapter 1: Hurt You**

Thankfully, during Shinji's many attempts at "tipping the cosmic scale unto the bastard's head", Rei and Asuka found ways to amuse themselves despite the timeline skipping backwards every so often. This was partially because, in Shinji's insane and time-defying anger, Rei's attempts at getting closer to the boy (and trolling Asuka, whom was in her own way trying to do the same) were wasted.

So instead, the girls became frenemies, which was frightening enough without the prospects of the only other pilot being a raving lunatic at the time. Still, this particular part of the story was about Shinji, so we'll have to come back to the Dynamic Duo's comedy routine later.

Now, where was I? Oh, yes, Shinji snaps and totally wails at everything.

The first thing Shinji tried was to kill Gendo using Unit-01 before they sent him out to fight Sachiel. This went remarkably well up until the point where he discovered that killing his father in that manner tended to destroy the entire Pribnow box. Though, to be completely honest, Shinji hadn't cared by the time Sachiel made it into NERV HQ and the two had a rather satisfying fight to the death. Shinji lost, of course, but he still died with a smile. He'd even worked off most of his anger towards everyone but his father! That one was a freebie for the guilt trip later.

Next, he tried to narrow down the casualties a bit. Punching the hell out of the Pribnow box had the guarantee of killing his father, but also Misato and the others. This time, he'd try to be a little more surgical in his strike. Understandably, his second attempt was to kill his Father with as few casualties as possible. This threw out using the EVA as a tool.

While Shinji had been trained in hand to hand combat and use of most weapons the EVA carried, this didn't really translate well to his physical abilities. This meant that he'd need to do something less personal than throttling the hell out of the old man, no matter how much he wanted to do it. Shinji thought back to some of Asuka's favorite action movies, all spy thrillers that in hindsight had given some thoughts into why the redhead liked Kaji so much.

So Shinji settled for learning how to make bombs. Because exploding things was suddenly of great interest, especially if an explosion happened to engulf his father or someone whom he still had unresolved… issues with. Needless to say, Touji and Kensuke were caught in his first attempt to take Chemistry class to the next level. Shinji figured that was a freebie as well, since they hadn't even died in the attempt, just gotten horrific facial scars.

Shinji kind of dug the one eyed look, made him look badass. Still, he didn't succeed by the time Shamshel came along, so he abandoned that avenue after his newfound injury made the fight go rather poorly. He hadn't died, but being stuck in a hospital bed for two weeks had sucked, even with Rei's occasional company, and her willingness to "procure materials" for him to pore over.

It made him angry that Rei could easily get access to military documents, but then she'd had the gall to inform him that they were "easily requested at rank." The first thing Shinji had done the week before Ramiel had come, and he'd just gotten out of the medical ward, was pour through the records for R&amp;D and Security that he had access to.

By the time Ramiel melted him like a stick of butter again, the teen male had learned how to make basic explosives and that apparently NERV had quite a library of vetoed research simply by virtue of lacking funds. A throwaway question to Rei had the girl admitting that Asuka would probably understand a lot of the scientist lingo that filled the documents. When he'd sent an email in askance to the german redhead, he'd received a rather surprising answer.

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"Biology?" Shinji asked while favoring his cell phone against the left side of his face since the right was still trussed up with bandages.

"Ja, Shinji. And to think it took you dying twice to finally ask what my degree was in." Asuka's voice was just as he remembered it, full of pride and mocking amusement. "Where'd you find these documents anyway?"

"They're all old Research and Development projects from NERV. Most of it was worthless to me-to us-, but what I sent you was what caught my eye. I mean, you know I didn't graduate high school and know only basic sciences, so I had to ask Rei for help. She sent me to you." Shinji mused; long enough that he didn't notice Asuka's cackle at the other end of his little speech.

"Armored Plugsuit, deemed pointless because of cost and EVA exterior armor. Biosynthetic fleshgrafts, which means semi-organic prosthetic parts by the way, deemed pointless because of cost and a lack of available materials. And blueprints for a personal energy shield, canned because of," Asuka snickered over the line, while Shinji simply rose what remained of his left brow. "Big surprise, cost. Well, there's the shorthand of it, what's got you so interested in these three anyway?"

"The armor and shield for obvious reasons," Shinji admitted, thinking back to the assault on NERV. He didn't remember much, having spent most of it catatonic, but he remembered how he was extremely lucky Misato had arrived when she had. "The graft… I have a bit of an idea. I can't tell you yet, but can you work with me and give me the small words version of how they all work?"

"Oh, ja. I figure when Blue and I aren't doing our things I can pen a little of it. I don't know much better than you, but I can at least understand the jargon."

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Shinji managed to maintain a semblance of calm by the time he was sitting on the train once again, post horrific death number… three, Four? He wasn't sure anymore. Looking into one of the reflective mirrors in the train, he thought to himself aloud while gazing into his once again whole pair of blue eyes, "Maybe I should put out my eye again, the eyepatch look is kind of cool." It was a good thing no one else was on that train with him to hear such a statement. It spoke well of Shinji's slipshod sanity that he was thinking of self-mutilating simply for the sake of "Looking cool."

The fight with Sachiel went about as smoothly as it did the second time around, though he'd performed perhaps a little –too- well when he'd been greeted with some questions by Ritsuko and Misato about his apparent fighting ability. Despite his desire to cackle insanely and tell them both the truth, he'd settled for admitting that he'd had his fair share of fights before coming here.

This wasn't exactly a lie now that he thought about it, making his way to see Rei in her hospital room. As he entered, he raised a brow (his left one again, it was still strange to him to be feeling the right side of his face) at the bluenette sitting up and typing away at a laptop computer. Noting his entry, the girl shifted the computer until it faced him and displayed a somewhat lag-ridden video of Asuka.

"Yeah, Blue, I can see what you mean. The eyepatch made him look kind of cool, but it was just too weird." Shinji paused long enough in staring blankly that Asuka spoke again, "What! Never seen a video chat service? How'd you even get into middle school?"

Taking a deep breath and having to forcefully remind himself that taking any revenge on either of the female pilots would be both counterproductive –and- lead to him never finding out why the two had gone insane in regards to him, he shook his head and tried to change the subject. "What were you two talking about?"

"Asuka and I were discussing the mechanics of AT-fields." Rei softly spoke, turning the computer back around while Shinji moved to sit next to her. "Since she is more scientifically minded than I, while I have more practical experience regarding them, we have put our heads together in an attempt to discover if they can be manipulated on a personal level."

Shinji, head swimming simply from trying to understand, pushed forth as he was always wont to do. "And?" He queried, crossing his arms and leaning in against Rei to turn his attention from the crimson-eyed girl to her German counterpart.

The image of Asuka snorted seconds after her voice came through, gesturing grandly and with mouth movements just later than her actual words. "Rei can, but it gives me a massive headache just trying to manifest it the way she says to. I'm not sure if it's because of her genetics or what. And why do I have to figure out all this stuff? Just because I have a college degree in the Sciences doesn't mean I'm the smart-"

She paused. Shinji could already see it coming, and had the vague inkling that Rei knew as well. "Oh hell, I am. I'm the smartest of the three of us. Dammit. Stuck with a pretty-boy wannabe and a girl who thinks military rules of engagement apply to everything. Oh well, at least I'd look the best in a lab coat, right, Shinji?" Asuka grinned a few seconds later than her question finished while Shinji puzzled through that idea.

_Asuka in a labcoat. Asuka in a plug suit and a labcoat. … Asuka in nothing but a labcoat._ The last thought brought a blush to his cheeks, but for the life of him he couldn't deny the idea had a certain… appeal. Rei's minute gaze brought his awareness back to the task at hand. "Well, tell me how to try and we can at least get more data, right?"

The explanation went wildly over his head until Rei simplified it, but even still he could only marginally affect things with his field. Asuka admitted it was more than she could do, but noted as well that Rei seemed the best out of the three of them at doing it. Shinji felt it was a particularly useful new ability despite its limitations, and immediately started brainstorming on uses of it. It was about this time that Shinji's focus went from "Violently Murder People Who Have Done Bad Things to Us" to "Invent New Ways to Violently Murder People Who Have Done Bad Things to Us."

Shinji bid the two farewell in order to go put this new information and ability through its paces, only just missing the parting commentary. "Hah, see! Even while he's in a funk he's attracted to me. How're you gonna one-up –that-, Blue?"

"French Maid uniform."

"Dammit!"

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Shinji didn't know it at the time, but that little meeting had set the tone for the remainder of that loop. Shinji would spend more time –thinking- of ways to try to murder than actively attempting to murder. It also set the tone of the three pilot's further relationship; Asuka became the scientist of the three while Rei became the militant and tactical mind. Shinji, being creative and having lost most of his ability to mope due to extreme duress, became the defacto group Generalist.

Rei spent more time with Misato in her attempts to get close to Shinji, to the point that the two had become quite close. What Rei learned from Misato, she'd supply in kind to Shinji whom spent a large amount of his time mingling amidst the command staff at NERV while he was required to be on base.

At first, he'd thought to try talking to Fuyutsuki, but the man was as elusive as his father was. _Probably because they're usually together._ Shinji thought to himself as he thought of who to approach next. Dr. Akagi was high on the list, but she was likely to be as busy as his father if not more so from what he understood of the faux-blonde's work ethic. So, he'd ended up amongst the technicians he did know. Maya knew the most, but was often the furthest away because she worked nearly as hard as her "sempai" did. Hyuga was amiable and often willing to explain things to him, but often slipped into terminology he didn't understand.

Thankfully, Aoba was usually there alongside the glasses-wearing tech to dumb it down for the teen. Shinji found himself liking the guitar-enthusiast the best out of the three techs. Shigeru was smart enough, though the lowest on the knowledge tree he could reasonably look, yet personable and knew how to put things so Shinji could understand.

So it wasn't much of a surprise when Shinji started spending more time amidst the bridge crew when he couldn't hunt down Ritsuko or Fuyutsuki, and was actually on base. He learned quite a bit about the trio that he hadn't expected of them all.

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"Hey, Shinji." The aforementioned boy looked away from his desk, unto the side-table with his laptop opened and a visual feed of both Asuka and Rei. Asuka was the one who had spoken, curled up on a couch with a heavy book propped against her legs and writing against it upon a piece of paper. "What're you doing, anyway? You've been all moody and avoiding us until you need something."

The blue-eyed boy thought to himself, _Have I been avoiding them? Eh… I guess I have. Damn, I'm kind of surprised they haven't collectively yelled at me. Then again, Asuka isn't here in person to kick me in the face. _He shrugged at that line of thinking, "I've just gotten wound up. Being killed horribly kind of made me want to hurt things." He didn't feel it necessary to point out his past potentially lethal tantrums.

"Oooh, the kinky kind of hurting?" The German girl asked, "Because I've got these books-"

"Asuka," Rei's quiet voice broke through the other girl's teasing. Rei had been quietly reading from a manilla folder throughout the semi-silent conversation labelled CLASSIFIED BY NERV in large red print. "We have not introduced Shinji to the depths of depravity yet, he is but a rough stone ready to be hewn to our delight."

The fact that Rei had spoken so much (and her inherent message) struck Shinji speechless while Asuka cackled with amusement. The boy suddenly got the feeling that should this loop last beyond Gaghiel, Bad Things might happen. No matter how much his repressed libido thought such "hewing" might be quite pleasant indeed. Shinji started to weigh the pros and cons of allowing the two girls to run rampant with his budding sexuality.

The one that'd started forming when he masturbated over Asuka's comatose body. S_hit, I'm fucked up._ The dark haired boy mused, chewing on a pen cap. "Screw it, dying sucks too much." Shinji finally decided, unknowingly dooming himself to quite a long loop. Alongside that, he also doomed his attempts to do grievous bodily harm to anyone simply by virtue of being too caught up in the machinations of Asuka and Rei.

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"He's so cute when he wants to violently dismember something and he can't. Look at him froth with rage! It's like a puppy; I just want to hug him and squeeze him and kiss him till its all better!" Asuka giggled, sharing a video link with Rei. The bluenette's lips quirked only slightly upwards as she watched Shinji's face contort into a fixture of impotent rage when the first shot of the Prototype Proton Canon did much as she remembered and distorted from the angel's return fire.

"Yes, I suppose Shinji somewhat affects the appearance of a canine when he is enraged." Rei admitted, running a finger along the screen where it displayed the teen male's cheek. "With Unit-01 out of commission until shortly before you are due to arrive, I will still likely be chosen to remain here. Remember our agreement. I have dibs." Rei spoke, receiving a raspberry and a middle finger from the redheaded pilot.

"Fine, fine," She eventually acquiesced, "Can't we just work it together? I mean, it'd be simplest. Or are you being selfish for once?" Asuka wondered, leaning back in her computer chair through the video feed connecting the two girl pilots.

Rei simply smiled, which was plenty enough to make Asuka flinch and fall out of her chair. Because it was one of Rei's newly patented Slasher Smiles. "I hadn't thought of that." The bluenette admitted.

Asuka coughed, trying to affect an appearance as if she hadn't been scared out of her chair by Rei's rendition of a shark's mouth. "Anyway, I need to finish packing and change. If you make any progress on That we can talk about it when I get there in person. Auf widersehen, Ein Blau Madchen."

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"You sure there wasn't anyone you wanted to bring along with us on this trip, Shinji?" Misato asked, glancing across the bay in the VTOL to talk to the pilot. Shinji looked up from a folder stuffed full of printed sheets.

"Ah, no. The only friends I have are Rei and Asuka, after all. Err, and you of course, Misato!" He corrected at the older woman's pouty look. Having to switch between "Reading the TM 31-210" to "Social" mode was difficult. After all, he was only conversant in English, and had brought the book along on the mere practicality of Asuka being fluent in that language and able to explain what half the terms he'd already highlighted were.

"You need to make some friends, Shinji..." Misato noted with a sigh, crossing her arms in her seat. Shinji thought that was true enough, but he hadn't even taken the time to try and set things out with Touji and Kensuke. The two were thankfully blind to his situation and he was all too happy not to take a punch in the face to be someone's friend again. _Now that I think about it, Sachiel and I must be -real- good friends then._ The Third Child mused.

AAAAAAAAAA

**Chapter 2: Crack A Joke**

To be honest, Shinji couldn't really remember the trip aboard the Over the Rainbow all that well. He'd been stunned by Asuka, knocked off guard by Kaji, and then there'd been the rush with Gaghiel. It was somewhat forgivable then that he 'd gotten utterly nervous as they were descending to the landing area. He'd chanced a look out unto the deck in search of Asuka but he couldn't see her amidst all the bodies moving on deck.

As Misato and he disembarked, a corpsman greeted them and led them along towards the bridge. Shinji was confused the entire way, nearly getting into the bridge before being grabbed from behind and pulled into a side alcove. With a hand over his mouth he didn't even have a chance to make a sound before suddely he was shoved up against a wall and his breath was taken away by a pair of lips on his.

_They may be crazy but man do I -like- it._ Shinji mused as he and Asuka had a second chance at their first kiss. This one went marginally better, even despite all the teeth scraping together and the near headbutting when Asuka'd decided to be spontaneous. Seeing the girl in that yellow dress of her's with a pair of tights under the skirt made him smirk despite his desire not to bring attention to it.

"Well that was much better." Asuka remarked, delivering a slight punch (that still stole the breath from Shinji) to the boy's chest. Rubbing the spot with a pout on his face, he was dragged in after the redhead in the middle of Misato and the Captain's grandstanding. Just in time it seemed for Kaji to sneak in with a casual comment and wave. But really, to the two of them it was all more of the same.

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"So, Shinji, is Misato still as wild in bed as ever?"

"WHAT ARE YOU -" "Oh yes. Misato-san keeps me up at night all the time. She's a real screamer at times, but I suppose that just reflects well on myself."

"... Nice one." Asuka remarked, a cheeky grin on her face as Kaji and Misato both shared incredulous looks.

"Eh, it was easy." Shinji returned, shrugging.

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Neither Shinji nor Asuka really wanted to talk about what happened the rest of the trip. Things had went strangely pear-shaped in accordance with Murphy's Law but things had largely ended up the same way they had the first time. Shinji stuck in a copy of Asuka's plugsuit, Misato teasing him, and Asuka having a blast with it afterwards. Though, this time they were met at the port by Rei. The two girls shared a hug and a smile that made Shinji feel like he'd be better off running back up the ramp and following the UN fleet home.

Now that Shinji had regained some semblance of sanity, it occured to him how surreal seeing Asuka and Rei getting along was. The two had been all but at each other's throats it seemed and now the two seemed almost like -sisters-. Which was arguably even more discomforting than when they were fighting.

At least then he'd known what to expect from the two of them. Now, it was like opening the door into a room full of yakuza with guns, a tripwire attached to explosives in the doorway, and just to add insult to injury you were being chased by a very pissed off Godzilla. _That might be a bit extreme,_ Shinji thought, _It's not like they're some kind of super villains out of a manga, right?_

The things Shinji did not know, after all, would not hurt him.

Okay, so they weren't SUPER VILLAINS out of a manga, anyway.

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By Shinji's estimate, Israfel wasn't due to arrive for a week or so after Asuka moved in, which took a day or two after their arrival due to red tape. He'd recieved a dose of his own medicine (which was quite bitter, now that he thought about it) in the form of Rei and Asuka spending a lot of their time together with the occasional third wheel of Misato. _At this rate I'll feel bad about how freaked out I've been at them getting along. Damn, maybe I -am- an idiot. _The prime-looper thought to himself as he quietly prepared dinner. Glancing at the clock, he saw that Misato would be arriving home from work soon as he tossed the remnants of a pair of fishes into PenPen's bowl and set it down for the meandering avian.

"Wark!"

"What? Oh. Sorry PenPen, hold on a second." Moving from the cooking stove to the fridge, he gathered a beer for the penguin...

And paused.

_Is that tequila?_

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That evening, Misato Katsuragi came home a few minutes later than she usually did. Announcing her presence, she was met with the most enthusiastic welcome home she'd ever heard.

So it wasn't very surprising when she walked into her apartment's kitchen only to discover dinner was set and Shinji seemed to be helping himself... to a bottle of tequila over a finished plate. "Shinji! What're you doing?!"

"I'm eatin' dinner, Misato-chaaaan~!" The inebriated pilot gushed, picking at an empty plate with a pair of chopsticks that had been almost neatly snapped in half before he took another swig from the bottle of tequila. The dark haired woman was so stunned by the sight that she didn't even -think- to take it from him. "Eatin' dinner alone! No one to tell me how goooood it is, or how much they appreciat- Apprekeee- like it!"

_Oh shit, I am having flashbacks._ Misato lamented, already looking around for That Thing. Not seeing the bladed weapon nearby, and hoping it didn't somehow possess the sentience or magical ability to manifest directly -to- Shinji (not that her paranoia was unfounded) she carefully moved towards her intoxicated charge.

"Well... I'm here now, Shin-chan. So we can eat together, okay? Why don't I... get you another drink?" Misato said calmly, approaching Shinji like he was holding a bomb instead of an expensive bottle of foreign liquer. It was more that Shinji -was- the bomb, if anyone else asked her.

"N-no, Misa-chan.. Why don't you sittawn? It'll get cold! 'ow was work? Wuzzit good? You look good." Shinji fumbled and wiggled back and forth like a flamboyantly fucked up flamingo. Misato started to lunge for the bottle but missed and ended up sprawled on the floor as the boy giggled inanely.

"M-Misato, you shouldn't drink so much you fall down! D-d'ya need help up?" Shinji asked, leaning over way too far. Working up to her feet, Misato barely missed having the teen's face shoved into her rear. With a clearing of the throat, the woman settled into the chair near Shinji and calmly tried to eat.

_Just act like nothing's wrong, then take the bottle when he's not paying attention._ Misato thought to herself, pleased with her plan of action as her eyes turned to her charge... just as Shinji started to cry. _Oh fuck me, someone get the katana. I can handle the katana, not crying bishounens._

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"Asuka," Said redhead looked up from her menu to look across the table at her blue-haired comrade-in-arms, "Do you ever get the feeling that we are missing an important opportunity?"

"Oh, all the time. It's screaming at me right now, but we did just sit down." Rei seemed to agree with this logic and picked up her menu. After all, it'd taken quite a bit of cajoling to manage a reservation at Le Manor for the two of them. _Also, we are both dressed up, running in heels is very bad for the knees and ankles... Or so I hear._ The bluenette thought idly to herself, _Now, should I have the Beef Fricassee, or the Chicken Hollandaise?_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"And Asuka just wanted me to hold her, and Rei was so confused and didn't know what was going on- and-"

_Katana! WHERE?! HELP!_ Thought Misato miserably as she patted the sobbing boy on the back. Though at least now she had the tequila away from him... _Oh fuck it._ The dark haired woman thought as she snuck a huge swig of the foreign liquer. If she was putting up with Shinji's confused drunken babblings, she was getting off of the gourd too.

"And you kissed me, and I totally liked it, and I shouldn't have- But it was good! Like, I went into combat with a boner good! But you're like my mom, or my sister, and maybe it's just fodder for otakus everywhere but-" _Work faster dammit!_

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"So what was it you wanted to meet me for tonight anyway?" Asuka asked, using her knife to cut into a steak that started to bleed lightly just by her prodding it. Pleased, she chewed on a piece while her blue eyes took in Rei's appearance.

The blue-haired girl seemed to have taken the fancy restaurant somewhat seriously, since she was dressed in a black number with a lace waist and sheer sleeves. _Damn, she dresses nice._ The redhead lamented, glancing down at her own stark red knee-length number. _Shit! That's what I get for expecting Rei to take a casual thing at face value. We must look like we're dating or something!_ Still, seeing her pick at a piece of beef in that fancy of an outfit was a refreshing change of pace from the original Rei she remembered. _Always wearing that school uniform or her plug suit. Yeah, the suit made her look fantastic, but it got boring after awhile. And those uniforms are so -frumpy-!_ Asuka fumed to herself, unaware when Rei spoke up.

"What's the matter, Asuka?" Stirred out of her thoughts, the redhead put on a smile.

"Ah, sorry, Rei. I was thinking how nice it is to see you all dressed up. A little make up and a change of colors and you look fantastic." _Oh god, that was cheesy. Damn! What am I saying to her? Hey baby, you want to fuck? Get your head on straight Asuka!_ Still, seeing Rei smile back at her lit a fire in her stomach and warmed her heart.

"You look elegant as well, Asuka. I'm glad you joined me this evening." _The strange thing is, I am too, Rei._ Asuka thought to herself, companionably eating and letting the conversation die on a high note.

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"Well, at least he's asleep now." Misato hummed to herself, sitting on the couch with the dozing pilot's head propped in her lap. With a beer in hand and reaching for the remote, she amused herself with trying to start the TV before something registered in her brain.

"Wait, did Shinji just admit to having a harem?"

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The next day was just absolutely the definition of awkward. Misato couldn't look at any of the three pilots, Shinji couldn't look at any of the three women, and Asuka and Rei couldn't look at each other. The fact that the three were scheduled for a sync test and thus Misato had to be on base for them only aggravated the situation into the level of socially maladjusted comedy sketches.

Thankfully, the days tests went without major incidents. Leaving the three pilots a large amount of time to try and shoulder past the last day's happenings. Which Rei did with gusto when the three were walking back towards Misato's apartment.

"Asuka and I had sex."

"WHAAAAT!?"

**What Happened Last Night:**

We pan down to see Asuka laying in a hotel bed, looking somewhat confusedly up at the ceiling while clutching the covers up to her chest. Next to the redhead is the bluenette with a soft smile on her face, totally unashamed in Asuka hogging the covers protectively.

"That was nice." Rei noted, a pleased gleam in her ruby eyes.

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While Shinji was convulsing and trying to both get the image out of his head and keep the image in his head -forever-, Asuka trying to blush and not draw attention to herself (for once), and Rei simply looking like... Rei it wasn't much surprise that the trip back to the apartment took far longer than normal.

With Rei leading into the small abode by punching in the passcode, followed by Asuka seeming resigned and perhaps a little bit thankful that the truth was bare, flanked by a very flummoxed looking Shinji. The two female pilots settled down in front of the television while Shinji mechanically got drinks for the three of them. Running on auto-pilot, the boy wasn't sure he'd ever wake up from his self-enforced coma.

He wasn't sure he could -live- in a world where such things happened. It just didn't make sense. Or did it? Maybe that was all the fighting in the old world? Sexual tension? Once again he found himself unhealthily comparing it all to fighting Angels. _Oh man, bad imagery, bad imagery_!

The replacement image of two angel-costumed female pilots met a little less resistance, however. "Euh, so looking past last night..." Shinji started, trying to be diplomatic and failing utterly, "The twin angels-" _SHUT UP BRAIN!_ "-are next and we need to discuss what we're going to do about them. I mean, Asuka and I aren't exactly at the level we were then but we could probably fight them well enough since we know the trick to them... but what if something goes wrong?"

Asuka scoffed while Rei simply raised an eyebrow at him. It kind of hurt to have his concerns dismissed, but so far the girls had been taking this whole business -far- better than he was. _Ignoring their, uh, newfound craziness_... Shinji thought to himself sardonically. Really, it was odd, so he voiced his question.

"Eh? What do you mean how are we taking it so well? -You're- the one who's been beating themself up and screwing around in non-constructive ways." Asuka belittled him, waving a dismissive hand while Rei tilted her head a bit. Looking a bit reproachful, the bluenette spoke up.

"What Asuka means, rather, is that you are taking your enforced reality too seriously. Within the confines of your wish for humanity to live and for us all to find happiness, this will repeat until we have found the means to which we will all remain happy." Shinji boggled at the thought, [i]_She can't be serious_.[/i] He thought, staring with a slack jaw at the bluenette.

"You mean... This second chance, it's like one of those endless continue games? It won't stop till we -win-?"

"In simpler terms, yes." The former Goddess of Mankind remarked in return, leaving Shinji stunned while Asuka fiddled with the remote. Turning her ruby gaze to the redhead, Rei noted Asuka's dismissive attitude to it all in general.

_The truth is,_ The girl thought, _Asuka had nothing left when she died. Having found her mother and obtaining happiness that way, if only in the brief moments before her death, Asuka's only regrets was how she lived._ The gaze turned to Shinji just as Asuka looked at the boy fumbling to realize that his own wish had made a mockery of their initial struggle.

_Now she's living purely to enjoy herself. Other people, the ones she doesn't care about_, She corrected herself internally, _Don't matter. She's still demanding, still closeted and strange, but in breaking, the glass becomes colored art._

_You're the one still struggling to accept things as they are, Shinji._ Rei thought sadly, subconsiously staring harder at the boy while her arms wrapped around her waist. _But, I helped you make this world, so it's only fair... That I help you find your own happiness here. Because..._

"I love you." Rei looked up.

AAAAAAAAAAAA

NEXT

**[b][u]Tell The Truth[/b][/u]**


	2. You (Get Hurt) Don't Laugh Revised

**Fruity Loops**

**Disclaimer**: I don't really think these things matter, if someone wants to sue you, they're going to be a tit and do it. Still, I don't own Evangelion, or anything -else- I reference in this fanwankery. So suck my fat d-

**Author's Note:** It amazes me how many of you guys favorite and like this story, even though I update it so rarely. Still, I SHANT LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE LOUSE- or is that mouth?

**Chapter 2:** You...

"Wait, why are we in Shinjuku?" Shinji asked, glancing around at his surroundings... and then looking at himself. "And why did I let you shove me into this get up? I mean, white and black?" Really, he felt kind of silly, but looking over at Rei and Asuka in similarly colored get ups helped somewhat. Asuka scoffed, waving a black-gloved hand and tossing her hair back with the other.

"Really, Shinji, you were born here. You should know what part of town this is. I mean, it's the most famous part of Tokyo around the world. They rebuilt the damn place two times!" Shinji leaned away from Asuka's face as it slowly decreased distance from him. Meanwhile, Rei stood nearby with a smile on her face. "We're here because you've been too stressed and we're tired of being ignored again. So, we're gonna spend the day around the fun districts! See all the crazy dressed up girls with the cool hair colors and all. So we got dressed up too. We might even hit a bar, who knows? Our NERV badges might get us a few drinks if we don't act stupid."

Shinji felt this was a bad plan, but knew he was already here and in the girl's clutches anyway. With a sigh and a shrug, he turned his gaze to Rei. The bluenette simply smiled more brightly at him before pointing down the road. "Come, let us get moving. Otherwise, we will be here listening to the two of you bitch all day." Rei walked off with a click-clack of her heels while the two other pilots stood there in stupified silence.

"I'm still not used to her having a smart mouth." Asuka gawked, putting her hands on her hips.

"... Me either." Shinji admitted.

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Meandering about the district had its ups and downs in Shinji's opinion. The stray food stalls were making him hungry, the girls who stopped to comment on their get ups and otherwise talk shop made him uncomfortable when they looked at him, and his outfit clung to him in ways that made him wonder if it was even remotely safe to watch ASS- Asuka's and Rei's skirts swish back and forth. _ Nice save there, hero boy._

Still, though, he found himself having a good time when they stopped for a minute to get refreshment. Sipping at a can of sugared coffee, he let his eyes wander over to Asuka and Rei sitting on the bench next to him. Drawn by Rei's bright blue hair, he thought idly of last night and became immersed in the memory.

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_ "I love you." She said, sitting there with the most blankly honest face she could ever have. When both Shinji and Asuka looked to her in askance, she simply smiled in that soft, demure way that both had gotten all too used to._

_"Eh? Who are you talking to, blue girl?" Asuka queried, looking about as blown away as the red-headed girl could. Shinji was speechless as well._

_ "Both of you. I Love You both." Rei's smiled blossomed further, and those three words were the last said that entire night._

Nothing untoward had happened, but there had been a relative level of both comfort and anxiousness throughout the evening while Shinji had been roped into watching a movie with the two girls. It had been a comedy about a man struggling to cope with depression while writing a book with a publisher's deadline- alongside the two women in his life who he struggled to choose between. Shinji had admittedly only been interested in the last ten minutes of the film- during the climax when the man seemed ready to give up on his career and their budding relationships when things seemed to fall into place with the man winding up dating both girls under very strict rules and his book had become an overnight success. _If only the real world was like movies,_ The teen mused, _There's no way a relationship like that would work out._

Shinji was never the brightest bulb in the bright room, that was to be sure.

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"Targets identified! Approaching the breach in map sector Eight! Redirecting Units-00 and 02 to the nearest launch points!" Shinji looked away from his navel, at the feed from the bridge to listen in on the reports. Fretting with the handles in his cockpit, the teen took in a deep breath and laid his head back against his seat's backrest.

"I can't stand this waiting." He muttered, looking at his tightly clenched fists on the controls of Unit-01.

_"Hey! Let's go to Karaoke!" Asuka said, pointing at a bar tucked in amidst the taller buildings. She didn't even wait before grabbing the other Children's hands and dragging them inside. A flash of a NERV card was enough to book a room for the three._

"What's taking so long?" He wondered, drifting back into thoughts of their little trip the day before.

_"Shinji-" She said softly, once the three were in the back. With a smile and a whispered word he was lost in another world. He thought the girl kissing him was Rei, since Asuka's lips resounded as more rough and thin. But then she was gone, and she was on Asuka, the two girls sharing a familiar kiss that even he could read. Asuka blushed and Rei giggled, which freaked him out enough as it was. "Why do you look so confused?_

"Unit-02 is down, targets are advancing on Unit-00!"

"ASUKA! REI!" Shinji screamed with every fiber of his being, jabbing his throttles back and forth. "Launch me! HURRY UP AND LAUNCH ME!" _Because this doesn't seem real._ He'd thought at the time, even though now he couldn't imagine the world of before- where neither girl had been able to approach their feelings for themselves- let alone others. "LAAAAUNCH MEEEEEEE!"

And the hatred inside of Shinji Ikari boiled to the surface, like a fire fanned by the greatest gust of wind.

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A red eye blurred open, half of her face screwing together in a scream that wasn't voiced. The room was too bright, so her eye closed almost immediately. Slowly trying to sit up, Rei found herself feeling disoriented and aching. Shouldering the burden as she had shouldered so many before, she slowly opened her eye again, gazing out at the world around her. Bleak white walls and the stench of sterility greeted her.

She was in the NERV hospital, it seemed. And also heavily injured, if the fact she could feel a distinct discomfort despite a level of morphine that she had before considered "Reality Warping" proved anything. The First Child and former Goddess of Mankind had to suppress a snort- lest it awaken a new pain in her chest. _I wonder if it would have amused me back then to know that I had been more stoned than someone at- what was it? Logstock?_

Looking around, she found Shinji slumped in one of the nearby chairs. Shaking her head, she tried to talk only to feel her throat spasm and cause a cough. This seemed to work well enough, considering Shinji jolted awake and laid his eyes on Rei again. Her uncovered eye returned its attention to the boy, taking in his bedraggled state.

"Rei?" He asked, seemingly clearing his eyes from the way she studied his movements. Her depth perception was off since one eye was bandaged, but it was enough. "How're you feeling?" _Like a pop star with a drug habit._

"I am agreeable," The bluenette mused, using past experience to dull her words to the point where she hoped Shinji would worry less. "I believe the common vernacular is "Off my tits" on pain medication." Rei nodded to herself when Shinji gave a startled squawk at her continued change of diction. "How is Asuka?" _Shinji distraction tactic number 14 engaged._

"Ah… She's in a little better shape than you are." The morose teen admitted, "Though I don't think her tolerance for painkillers is as high, she was talking about elephants marching and racist crows for some reason."

"Yes, Asuka does seem to have something of a weakness for narcotics and hallucinogenic drugs. She is, in layman's terms, a lightweight." Rei remarked almost dryly as she remembered how just a few glasses of wine with dinner had lowered the redhead's inhibitions. _Unexpected for one born in a country where the common culture is accepted drinking for minors on special occasions._

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"The pink elephants are marching, one by one, they march all night- till the day is done- wee-hee~ Ya-hoo~!" Asuka gleefully giggled, watching her hospital room contort into a thing of childhood horror. There was a pause, though, and then she sneezed. "GOTT VERDAMMT MICE!"

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"So yeah, the two of you are pretty much out of commission for the next two or three weeks." Shinji finished out, not wanting to add dignity to Rei's offhand comment. He was still having far too many breaks from reality- mostly centered ON the two girls- to even think about risking a foray into –that- arena of combat. "So on the bright side, you guys don't have to go to school!" Shinji grinned, only for it to falter when Rei gave him a rather dry look lacking amusement. "I… I tried to make a joke."

"While you are much more attractive when you smile, Shinji-kun, you should perhaps leave humorous remarks to Asuka and I." Rei noted.

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After visiting Asuka and Rei in the hospital, Shinji had taken the long route back to Misato's apartment, frowning deeply- not the morose and juvenile look one could associate with the younger Ikari's dark moods- but a new look, one burdened with responsibility. _What happens when Rei or Asuka die? Will the loop reset, too? Or am I the catalyst for it alone?_ The teen mused to himself, unaware of his left hand clenching slowly into a fist and then relaxing.

"I don't really want to find out." The brown-haired boy muttered aloud, pausing at a street corner and closing his eyes tightly. _Not when I've started to accept this crazy idea- that I can try again. Over and over- until all three of us is happy. Until we all make it past…_

"YO! IKARI!" Shinji looked up, stirred from his musings to spot Kensuke and Touji approaching from across the street. Oh crap, had he actually made friends with them this loop? His brain wasn't able to remember- to keep up with what he –had- done this loop, let alone in all loops since. "We heard yer wives got injured, dey doin' alright?" Well, on the plus side, at least he wasn't getting a fist in the face. Being teased was pretty preferable to that.

"Ah… yeah. Asuka and Rei are okay. They're on a lot of pain killers, but they'll survive. They're strong girls." Shinji affected a smile; trying not to let the two boys he was –supposed- to make friends with know that on the inside he was worried. "What're you two doing out here? Going to the arcade?" He asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Eh, yeah-" Kensuke waved a dismissive hand while regarding Touji with a pair of eyes that spoke more slyly than he did a second later- "Touji's running away from Class Rep again." An indignant squawk followed by a tussle left Shinji somewhat bemused at his friend's actions. "They got a new shooter game at the arcade down the block, you want to come with?"

For a moment, Shinji faltered- did he really have time to play with his old friends? When the world- and the people he cared about, perhaps even loved- were at stake?

Of course he did. With a grin, he nodded. "You guys can play and I'll watch, I'm not really into the shooter genre." The argument that followed was childish, but a good stress reliever.

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"So what are we going to do with being down two pilots?" Misato murmured, holding a cup of coffee that had once been hot- but was now only lukewarm. Coming to Ritsuko's office was always a gamble, and it seems she'd lost on the bet today- her friend hadn't made a fresh pot of coffee in something like four hours. "Do you think the Marduk Institute will identify a new pilot in time before the next Angel arrives?"

"Well," Ritsuko mused, tapping her fingers against the desktop, "I suppose it'll make you feel better to know they've already picked a candidate, we just have to approach him." Digging in a drawer in the side of her desk, the scientist procured a manila envelope and settled it on the edge closest to Misato. The dark-haired woman raised a brow and set her cup aside to pick up the folder and open it.

"He's already here in Japan? That's convenient." The woman thought aloud, while Ritsuko simply shrugged her shoulders and turned back to her computer screen- studying it intently.

"Better him than some American we'd have to fly across the world. Imagine if the Fourth child was some brash upstart gaijin who had no clue how manners worked…" There was a terse pause, the two imagining having to deal with –another- Asuka, or- god forbid- a male version of Asuka.

"Euuuh.." Both put forth quite succinctly. Misato set the folder down, the pictured attached showcasing a lazy smile and deep red eyes. "Kaworu Nagisa, huh…."

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"Just to be sure," Asuka began, pointing at her plate, "These are blueberry pancakes, and not blue themselves, right?" Her partner in crime looked up from her business, staring at the redhead with a deadpan look. Rei's apartment was messier than Misato's, but their guardian was home today- and that didn't sit well for the three's ability to have something resembling an adult conversation.

"Yes, Asuka," Rei remarked dryly in response, "Your synesthesia seems to be lessening in severity, this is good news." The bluenette picked at her breakfast, looking particularly pleased when she got a bite full of fruit and syrup. Turning her uncovered eye to their benefactor, she spoke up. "Thank you for taking care of us, Shinji-kun."

"Ah, it's fine, what was I gonna do? Let you two limp around the kitchen?" The single non-hurt pilot seemed in a good-natured mood this morning, which Rei was thankful for. _Perhaps he feels more comfortable with himself in this setting. Shinji has always been a very altruistic soul._ "Besides, this gives us some time to talk, right?" He asked, setting himself a platter and moving into his chair to enjoy them with a similarly upbeat expression.

"Heh? What do you want to talk about?" Asuka looked up from prodding her subject looking breakfast, still unsure if the fact the world around her was rainbows and LSD-esque trip sequences was due to her impressive drug regimen or the cranial damage Unit 02 had taken before being put off line affecting her own nervous system. _And I wanted to be an Eva pilot._ She thought sardonically. "You better not be wanting to play nurse with us. I don't think we have a uniform in your size." She paused long enough to consider the idea of Shinji in a female nurse's uniform, one of those sleazy stereotypical ones. _Huh, maybe._ She mused, her eyes more intently studying the bishounen features of her admitted love interest.

_I have the feeling that if I don't distract Asuka now, I'll regret it later. Tactic #2._ "I'm sorry?" Shinji seemed pleased when the words almost reflexively made Asuka's arm jerk as if to dope-slap him, but she caught herself before making the full length of hand to head. "But, I wanted to talk about… us, you know. What we are- and I don't mean as people. I mean _us._"

"Oh." The girls remarked, one dumbly and the other with a strange measure of pleasure in her voice. It wasn't hard to guess whom was whom. Rei, however, was the first to speak up. _Wait, how did she finish that whole four-stack of pancakes?! _Shinji thought, looking completely baffled by how the relatively petite girl could hide away such a sizable thing without him noticing.

"I believe the common vernacular is "Living in sin" is it not?" The bluenette mused, fidgeting with her shirt- a sleeveless button-up that was fastened only up to her cleavage due to one arm still not functioning fully properly. Rei's sense of humor flared when Asuka and Shinji seemed to splutter and look aghast at such a thought. _I must stop, before I discover the joys of sadism._ "We are a menage a trois." She supplied instead, which only furthered Shinji's embarrassment while Asuka instead pulled herself up using the table as leverage and began to make rather exaggerated impressions of a fish. _I… I am a good girl._ Rei reminded herself, struggling to keep her mask of placidity in place. _There is… n-nothing wrong with humor._

Noticing Rei's look, one he secretly termed Ayanami Schaudenfreude #3 due to the slight squint of her eyes and the miniscule tremble of her upper lip, Shinji began to calm himself even while Asuka looked halfway between leaping over the table and running out of the bluenette's apartment and back to her room to hide. "Rei's questionable knowledge of French aside," He ignored Rei's utterance that she spoke many languages fluently, "I still want to know. Are we… together? Separate? What are we? We're not friends- it's too far for that. Please, you two have to tell me."

"We're in love." Asuka was the one to answer, though her cheeks were positively ablaze with red the likes of her plugsuit and she was pushing her slices of griddled cakes about more than eating. "That's what matters- ISN'T IT?!" Her follow-up outburst caught both of the other pilots by surprise, making Shinji acquiesce with a frightened squeak of a yes and Rei simply to blink. _Asuka still registers as a 6 on the Tsundere scale, though that is lower than it was before._ The First Child mused.

Rei's thoughts turned to a simpler time, when all of this began, when a desperate wish by an unknowing Shinji Ikari had created a metaphorical hole in time-space that only had one fixed exit. When she awoke again, in the NERV infirmary without the great power of Lilith flooding her vessel- but the memories and the knowledge she'd gained from Complementation still remained.

**Chapter Three**

**Legion**

[I'm going to make him into a man.]

"THAT WHORE!"

-laogwla-lawlawlalgaw-

[Incest is illegal in Japan.]

"THAT WHORE!"

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[He's going to get it up the butt.]

"THAT- Well, that's true."


	3. Legion Gothic Metal

**Fruity Loops**

**Disclaimer**: I don't really think these things matter, if someone wants to sue you, they're going to be a twat and do it. Still, I don't own Evangelion, or anything -else- I reference in this fanwankery. So suck my fat d-

**Author's Note:** Really, you guys should be happy I do the amount of work I do. MWHAHAHA, FEAR MY EGO. Oh gods- DON'T HIT ME- AGUGL- NOT IN THE FACE- AKKK! On a more serious note, expect less giggles this chapter and much more plot, and stuttering. Also, I don't know how this fic is quickly approaching the top 10 for the Shinji, Rei, Asuka general fic list for favorites and follows- there are finished stories in that area, and this is only two shoddy chapters in! **UPDATE:** SOMEHOW IN TOP 10 FAVS AND FOLLOWS FOR CRITERIA? WUT? Are there really not any good OTT fics on anymore? What the-

**Chapter 3:**

Legion / Gothic Metal

There was something awkward about having your lower halves fused together. Not in that sexual way that writers and artists throughout the ages had been depicting as much more pretty than the animalistic drive to breed that lead to it. No, this was that terrifying non-Euclidian melding of flesh and soul that created the horrifying image of losing yourself in another, the kind of thing that quantified the young Ikari's ideas of social anxiety.

Rei Ayanami becoming Shinji Ikari, becoming Asuka Langley Sohryu becoming Rei Ayanami, becoming the Goddess of Humanity- though if Humanity no longer existed was that her real title? Rei III was becoming the Amalgamation, or some other great big word that Gendo Ikari had uttered at her time and time again.

_Why._ Voices in her head wondered, leaving her unsure if it was even she who had asked such a question. _To what end._ _WhereamIwhoamIthisisn'trightamI__**deadthisisn't**__-_

Rei had to push those simpering voices out of her skull, shunting them away somewhere quiet where she kept those torments of the past- the drugs and the lies that had made her change her mind at the last moment and rebel. The place away from here so she could be here, staring into Shinji's eyes as she towered over him in that facsimile of intimacy. Her red eyes (or were they blue?) staring into his blue eyes _or were they __**red she hated red she hated blue no wait wasn't she**_-

"Ikari-kun."

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The fragments of Shinji Ikari's psyche resembled stain glass, if one were able to study them the way Rei III could, reaching out using her own Soul. The events of Impact- _**No, before that, the baka-**_ had left the boy little more than a broken pane haphazardly glued together by that distinct need to _die__**pleasedon'tleavemealonenoIamalwaysalone**__thiswasmypurpose._

Perhaps he was not the only one; she had enough control to think as her arms and body shifted around in the ether. Shinji's eyes unblinkingly stared at her face, for once making _**her think that the boy was too shy, he needed to unwind**__**and maybe get himself a girlfriend**__**butshewastoooldhedeserves**__betterthanme-_

"Ikari-kun." She whispered again, not having the ability any longer to fight the surge of thoughts and other personalities flooding into her own. Shinji was her anchor, and even he was being subsumed into her slowly- the emptiness of his Soul making him _deliciously_ _**appetizing**_ _worthy of protection__-_ nothing more than a vessel waiting to be filled. "Are you happy? This was the world you wanted."

"But it's so empty," The boy uttered back, sharing with her his own rendition of a look she'd seen in the mirror countless times _you'resuchadoll__**whytalkwhenhediedforyou**_shinji-kun\- "This… this is what I wanted?" He asked, as if unsure. Rei nodded, slumping further forward until everything was hidden away in their meeting eyes- the world blurring even though there was no such thing anymore.

"You wanted a world without pain, without conflict and heart-ache. Without the barriers separating people from one another- without individuality, this was the world you wished for during Instrumentality."

"N-no… That's not right. This isn't what I wanted." Shinji Ikari, Woobie and Destroyer of the World, sobbed quietly. _**Idiot.**_

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Waking up in the NERV Medical Ward was strange for Rei, especially since her Soul had seemed to take control of the Second Body. With a swollen eye, a broken arm, and enough painkillers in her system to make her realize that any attempt to use recreational drugs would be about as effective as using a water gun to put out a house fire, Rei Ayanami slowly sat up and tilted her head. **The Plan** began to form within the next thirty minutes, while she puzzled through how to make use of her newfound knowledge to meet that wish- spoken by a desperate soul that she adored so much that Gendo and Ritsuko's meddling had only served to defunct their own plans.

Settling back into the bed after a while, the former Goddess of Mankind smiled softly to herself and began to think of better things. _I wonder how I can obtain Pilot Sohryu's NERV address._

The first meeting with the renewed Shinji Ikari had been a thing of comfort to Rei, especially considering she was growing quite antsy and sick of sitting around in the infirmary due to her wounds. The first thing she'd done after getting out- but before filling out the necessary forms to request change of address- had been getting a personal laptop so she could instigate phase one of her plan.

After all, there was one very important ripple to iron out- Asuka. _She will not have properly looped,_ the bluenette thought to herself as she typed, thinking desperately for a solution to that problem, _Since she was even more shattered a soul than Shinji and she had actually died by the point of reclamation, her soul is an imperfect recreation._

It was then that a thought occurred to Rei, and she closed her laptop- instead walking her way to the train station- heading for NERV Headquarters.

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"Hmm? You think the pilots should be allowed to carry pistols, huh?" Major- or was that Captain? Rei wasn't sure anymore- Katsuragi questioned, staring at her in a way that implied the woman hadn't expected much when she'd been approached by the bluenette- least of all that. Not that Rei could blame her- after all, this universe's Rei Ayanami had been very comfortably sedate and antisocial until her own conscious had superseded her's. _For the best anyway_, The former divine being thought, _Better to cease existing than manage through to complementation._

"Yes, ma'am. The Children are under immense risk, and it would be sensible that we be allowed to carry personal defense weapons at times." Trying to keep her voice level was difficult- she was still struggling with her own physical form and the rather strange itching at the base of her skull- as if eyes were always set there and boring holes into her spine.

"Ah, I'll have to think about it, okay? I know it has a precedent, but it's still handing weaponry to teens, you know?"

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Rei blinked, staring quietly at Ritsuko Akagi as the two stood in an elevator descending slowly down to Terminal Dogma. Really, the bluenette could've probably just convinced the blonde to forget these little sessions- but it was easier to just lull her to unconsciousness down there where no cameras could watch. Today, however, had been something different.

"I'm sorry, Doctor Akagi. I believe I misinterpreted what you said, could you repeat yourself?" Rei asked, features schooled into an expression she'd come to privately consider "Mild Surprise, or Intoxication, #3."

"It seems Pilot Ikari has a crush on you," Ritsuko remarked in turn, eyes buried in a sheaf of papers that Rei was pretty sure were the beginning plans of the Dummy Plug. _That, too, will have to go._ Rei thought to herself while the blonde continued speaking, "It would be cute, if it weren't for the suggestions it… breeds." The bluenette turned her eyes towards the good doctor, letting her thoughts rest in the back of her mind for a moment to consider the awkward face the woman had made. Privately, she considered this Dr. Akagi's attempt at both making herself feel better- and making her angry. To use such wording with the awareness of whom she was- of how her body worked… Ritsuko Akagi was a difficult woman- amongst a species especially known for being difficult. Even Asuka- bless her infatuation with red- made more sense.

"Yes." She decided was the best answer to give, as non-committal as a yes or no could be- which was something Rei had rather a lot of practice in. "I suppose it would be-" _Bitch._ "Doctor Akagi." The bottle-blonde saw only the soft glow of her eyes before everything went dark when the elevator finally let off into the chamber of Gauf. Then, sparing one of the women who helped make her a glance, Rei quietly walked deep within- where a legion of red eyes stared outward with all the awareness of the pane of reinforced glass that separated them.

"Sisters."

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_Blue eyes, huh._ Asuka thought to herself, the crisp European air blowing through her red hair as she ran with all of her might down NERV-Germany's paveway. The barracks were too stuffy- like a cage- especially when all she wanted to do now was –leave-. There was so much to do- too much, really. Before, she'd focused her whole life on EVA- training, study… Even her degree had been in Biology so she could understand more of the core concepts of the Thing that her mother had helped make- had gone so far as to shove her soul into. She came to an abrupt stop, fitfully rubbing at her right eye with an expression of fury. "Auuh! RRRAAUH!" With all the strength of a raging teen, she swiped at the air and kicked out- all textbook, all perfect. No matter her anger or confusion, drills since you were only a child left their imprints.

_Blue eyes… One eye- you ugly bitch._ She thought, unaware that her lips worked free the words as her shoes hit pavement again. "Girls piss me off- boys piss me off- everything pisses me off. I'm SO FUCKING PISSED OFF!" She didn't know if she was speaking Japanese or German- maybe even English. The feeling of adrenaline pumping through her body only shy of being as good as thinking about what she would do to Rei- to Shinji- when she saw them. She'd hurt them- to be sure. Maybe she'd pick them up afterwards and make sure the bruises would heal, but she'd hurt them. Maybe she'd… maybe she'd be glad to see them.

She stopped again, her own blue eyes catching sight of a little haberdasher boutique- was she in town now? Was that how far she'd hurt herself by running? Shaking her head, she walked inside, and found something she liked- pulling it on and slipping the brim low over her eyes. Reaching up to tug on the points of the ears of the hat until they rested comfortably over her neural sensors, she nodded her head at the girl she saw in the mirror.

And she pretended- just for a moment- that the girl in the mirror wasn't in love, or a dead EVA pilot. She was just a young redhead who saw something she liked and bought it for fun. "I'll take it." She smiled at the girl behind the register- thinking all was right with the world.

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"Isn't it stressful?" Rei looked up from her laptop- the second one she'd actually gotten to take after Shinji's many unsuccessful attempts to either end himself or someone else in an explosively gory fashion. The sight of the boy himself made her tilt her head, curious as to what had made her enter his focus. His bandaged face muddled with the frown the functioning side managed to grimace into. Closing the device- mostly so that he didn't see the message she was sending to Asuka- she addressed him in turn.

"What?" The bluenette murmured, privately enjoying the way she could make him fidget just by putting both of her eyes on him. Certainly- she'd thought of using what little remained of Lilith's power on him before, but the idea had lost merit after discovering that he could only be coerced so far before the mental strain tended to knock him unconscious. _I will have to use alternative methods to convince him to crossdress._ She mused for a moment, "What is stressful?"

"These… these resets-" The Ikari boy muttered, shaking visibly for a moment before seeming to put himself back under control. "They don't bother you?"

"No." Rei remarked, far more placidly than she'd meant to from the sign of him flinching. Shaking her head and trying to school her features- sarcasm bubbling in her throat- she explained, "This is- in a way- Instrumentality as well." This answer seemed to fit Shinji's mind as he blinked, nodding his head before saying goodbye and wandering off again. _Perhaps he is not ready to know…_ She mused, turning her attention back to her laptop, opening it up and resuming detailing a rather elaborate ecchi scene to her red-headed coworker. Thankfully, this time there was no one around to see her grin as she hit the send key. _After all- if he knew that we replace alternate universe versions of ourselves… he might collapse from the guilt._

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"Oh come on, what the hell is a feeldoe and what does that have to do with shoving Shinji into a maid unif-OHMYGOD."

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Glancing from side to side, Rei softly keyed in the code to her apartment next door to Misato and Shinji's. She'd filled out the paperwork so many times at this point she'd started trying to do it while otherwise occupied. So far, she had not managed to do it while juggling. _This is strange,_ she mused, _To know a new existance every day- you would think it would…_ She mentally pictured Shinji- though perhaps that was unfair to the boy. After all, Shinji had been losing his grip on reality long before the Loop started. Shaking her head, she went over to her desk, pulling her gun from it's case- another tradition she'd taken to instituting- she put the empty weapon to her head and tried to pull the trigger. The harsh resistance of the weapon's trigger- sans the magazine- reminded her once again of a life before this one. Subservient to the Commander, growing fond of Shinji, learning to cope with Asuka- then there was her. A doll with incomplete memories made into the Goddess of Mankind when she hijacked Ikari Gendo's plan and gave the reins to Shinji. Holding the gun in her sight, she traced its contours with her ruby red eyes. _And then I stole Shinji's choice._ Somewhere deep inside of her- the Mother of Mankind smiled. Rei only put the gun away, wondering if her selfishness would really fix the mess Ikari Gendo and Ikari Yui had created.

-xx-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-xx-x-x

"Son of a -bitch-, who decided to ship this thing by sea?" Asuka muttered, sitting beneath the railing of the Over the Rainbow, kicking her legs over the walkway's edge, leaning on the railing itself. Dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a long t-shirt, the redhead wondered if perhaps her cry for attention in the first loop had been misplaced. Wearing a dress on the deck- had she been naive, or just asking for Kaji's attention? Or maybe Shinji's? Who knew- already she was a different person by now- a woman. _Or at least, I think so._

"We'll be in Japanese waters tomorrow," Kaji remarked, walking forward to settle in against the railing. "You excited? To meet your fellow pilot, that is. Maybe you two will get along." The unshaven man let loose a grin, which only sent the redhead snorting derisively.

"Aren't you excited to see Misato again?" She sniped back, pulling her phone from her pocket and beginning to dig through her emails. Hearing Kaji laugh, the pilot simply shook her head. _I don't know how I feel._ She internalized, _Obviously you don't either, otherwise you would have ran far away from this…_

Resting her eyes upon the image in the email- that of Rei posing- pleased grin on her face, though it was not quite as pronounced as another's face might have been- with peace signs next to a drunken Misato carefully flopped onto half of Shinji's bed. _Why are all my friends such weirdos._ She thought to herself, ignoring the part of her that was pleased that Rei had taken the time to strip her down to her bra this time.

**Next Chapter**

**We (Die) Are Alone**


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